I've been around long enough to know that today is tomorrow's past. The moment after the autumn leaves flame, they're "past peak." When a flower blooms, it starts to fade. When a human being reaches the pinnacle of his or her career (or health or vibrancy), that person begins a certain decline. When we're born, we begin to die (during this life, anyway).
This is not intended to be a downer post. On the contrary, it's to remind me there is
more promise in a tiny seed than in a plant in full bloom.
This autumn, I've been collecting seeds--studying them, playing with them, photographing them, appreciating them. What follows is a simple vignette of a few seeds and seedpods that have captured my curiosity.
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| Rudbeckia hirta |
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| Agastache foeniculum |
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| Phaseolus coccineus |
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| Chasmanthium latifolium |
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| Passiflora incarnata |
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| Lablab purpureus |
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| Mixed prairie grasses |
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| Echinacea purpurea |
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| Conoclinium coelestinum |
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| Asclepias tuberosa |
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| Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' |
All these plants are dormant. To some, they appear small ... insignificant ... boring. To the wise among us, they're stunningly beautiful ... full of promise ... worthy of great praise.
And lest we think of them as "little" things, we must remember that these tiny seeds, together ...
... are tomorrow's "big picture."
They are beautiful and powerful alone, but together in all their diversity and flaws, they can change the world.
Messy, yes ... but think of what they will become.
